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Buffyverse Novels #32
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Power of Persuasion
When the female population of Sunnydale starts strutting its girl power, the push for gender equality seems like a normal expression of '90s feminism. After all, a girl trying out for the football team isn't usually a sign of imminent danger. But when the guys start acting like powerless pawns and a few even turn up dead, Buffy Summers notices that the local womyn's movement has reached a feverish -- and probably unnatural -- pitch. The Slayer is the only one who can see straight during the ultimate battle of the sexes. Her friends -- including Giles -- are spellbound by the malignant muses permeating the school. Even the local vampires are acting strange. Alone in her search for answers, Buffy must figure out who's behind the sinister sisterhood...and close the gender gap before the feminist revolution goes too far.
196 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
5 people are currently reading
656 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Massie
179 books161 followersElizabeth (Beth) Massie is a 2-time Bram Stoker Award and Scribe Award-winning author of horror/suspense, historical fiction, media tie-ins, nonfiction, and short fiction for adults. She also writes novels for teens and middle grade readers. Her series, Ameri-Scares, is currently in development for television by Warner Horizon (Warner Brothers), LuckyChap, and Assemble Media. Stay tuned! She lives in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband, illustrator Cortney Skinner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 26, 2023
This is a book that is based on the television series. This takes place during the third season. In this one a mother and two daughters arrive in Sunnydale and set it in turmoil with their feminist views. There is more to them than just being a firebrand.
I didn't have the highest hopes going into this book but it was better than I thought it would be. It did come off a little preachy which it had to be with the topic it was tackling. Speaking of that topic I was impressed that this author tackled it many years go and it might be more relevant in today's society. With a media tie-in book the characters have to be portrayed correctly and I thought the author accomplished this. I especially thought this happened with Cordelia as they gave her something to do. In season three this did not happen for the majority of it. As for the story it works for this universe as we get the underlying supernatural element and we all know that is where this show excelled. I was surprised as this book was layered. There was a sub plot about how parents and their actions affect their children. I enjoyed this aspect.
I am revisiting these novels as I have started another rewatch of my favorite series. I do not expect much from these reads. I expect the characters to be true to themselves and to be entertained with the story. This book did that for me.
I didn't have the highest hopes going into this book but it was better than I thought it would be. It did come off a little preachy which it had to be with the topic it was tackling. Speaking of that topic I was impressed that this author tackled it many years go and it might be more relevant in today's society. With a media tie-in book the characters have to be portrayed correctly and I thought the author accomplished this. I especially thought this happened with Cordelia as they gave her something to do. In season three this did not happen for the majority of it. As for the story it works for this universe as we get the underlying supernatural element and we all know that is where this show excelled. I was surprised as this book was layered. There was a sub plot about how parents and their actions affect their children. I enjoyed this aspect.
I am revisiting these novels as I have started another rewatch of my favorite series. I do not expect much from these reads. I expect the characters to be true to themselves and to be entertained with the story. This book did that for me.
December 22, 2010
If you're a fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and are a big reader (why else would you be here?) you really ought to do yourself a favor and read these books. Author Elizabeth Massie captures the feel of "Buffy's" world so well that I could clearly see the characters come to life in my head. Although I did find the normally conversation challenged Oz to be a bit wordy here at times. He's the quiet sexy one (the perfect man, if you ask me) but he seemed to have quite a bit of dialogue in this story and it stuck out.
This is an original novel and not a novelization based on a TV episode about a young girl with a dictator-like father who is totally fed up with his attempts to run her life and prays to the "goddess" for help.
Then a new library administrator, Ms. Moon, and her two too-perfect-to-be-true girls arrive in Sunnydale and quietly begin to stir up discontent between the sexes. Soon the female students are carrying on about "inequality" and "injustice" and, much to Cordelia Chase's dismay, are rallying around the Moon girls who have become the most popular students in school. The guy's aren't immune either and walk around in a dazed state blindly worshiping the Moon sisters. Even poor Giles is affected. Momma Moon wants to do away with all of his "weird" books and even though he finds the idea offensive his brain gets muddled and he begins to pack them. Buffy catches him in the act and realizes that someone is once again up to no good in Sunnydale and she intends to stop it.
I saw where this one was going immediately but that's okay because reading it was *almost* as much fun as watching a Buffy episode. There's a little wit, there's Slayer action and there's lots of hanging out with the Buffy gang. Worked for me.
This is an original novel and not a novelization based on a TV episode about a young girl with a dictator-like father who is totally fed up with his attempts to run her life and prays to the "goddess" for help.
Then a new library administrator, Ms. Moon, and her two too-perfect-to-be-true girls arrive in Sunnydale and quietly begin to stir up discontent between the sexes. Soon the female students are carrying on about "inequality" and "injustice" and, much to Cordelia Chase's dismay, are rallying around the Moon girls who have become the most popular students in school. The guy's aren't immune either and walk around in a dazed state blindly worshiping the Moon sisters. Even poor Giles is affected. Momma Moon wants to do away with all of his "weird" books and even though he finds the idea offensive his brain gets muddled and he begins to pack them. Buffy catches him in the act and realizes that someone is once again up to no good in Sunnydale and she intends to stop it.
I saw where this one was going immediately but that's okay because reading it was *almost* as much fun as watching a Buffy episode. There's a little wit, there's Slayer action and there's lots of hanging out with the Buffy gang. Worked for me.
August 13, 2020
This is a fine original Buffy novel featuring all of the usual suspects facing mythic opponents and dealing with a gender face-off. Massie did a good job in capturing the personalities and voices from the show, better than many of the other writers who did stories contemporary with this one did. It's set in the high school years, when Oz was the man and after battle the gang would go hang at The Bronze... you know, when things were more fun and uncomplicated. Nostalgia is good for the soul.
Read
January 3, 2022the monster of the week is feminism. yes, really. the straw womyn liquefy men’s brains. the happy ending involves a woman asserting her rightful place in the kitchen.
on the other hand:
-buffy has several internal monologues about not being a “typical” woman bc she’s a slayer and the baddies clock her as being “”””””””different”””””””
-the main team is buffy oz and cordy!
-anya is here and slams the baddies for not wanting to kill men enough (queen!)
-buffy kidnaps giles and traps him in her basement
-there is an inherent hilarity of btvs characters, the most gender non-conforming cast of all time, adopt a very fun “separate but equal” model of 1990s gender roles
-the baddies turn out to be from the Olympian pantheon, which is very sexy
also:
“I’ve got residual anxiety, and I have to get rid of it somehow. It makes me feel better to kill a few males. You just don’t understand or care about my feelings.”
on the other hand:
-buffy has several internal monologues about not being a “typical” woman bc she’s a slayer and the baddies clock her as being “”””””””different”””””””
-the main team is buffy oz and cordy!
-anya is here and slams the baddies for not wanting to kill men enough (queen!)
-buffy kidnaps giles and traps him in her basement
-there is an inherent hilarity of btvs characters, the most gender non-conforming cast of all time, adopt a very fun “separate but equal” model of 1990s gender roles
-the baddies turn out to be from the Olympian pantheon, which is very sexy
also:
“I’ve got residual anxiety, and I have to get rid of it somehow. It makes me feel better to kill a few males. You just don’t understand or care about my feelings.”
September 16, 2022
5 stars
Nice to see Buffy and the Scoobies go up against the Moons.
Nice to see Buffy and the Scoobies go up against the Moons.
March 30, 2020
Loved this one. The Moon family were unique villains and it was good to see Buffy, Oz and Cordy working together.
February 28, 2024
Wow, this didn't age well. I love Buffy but I kind of wish I never read this one. The whole plot is about how feminism is bad?
The writing itself was full of exposition with clunky dialogue, but the plot itself wasn't great.
We start by following Allison who has Greek ancestry and a controlling father who has opened Sunnydale's first Greek restaurant. She calls on a goddess ('any goddess') for help to persuade her dad to let her have a life. From here, we follow Buffy and the gang try to fight the goddesses that were called upon from bringing feminism to Sunnydale.
What I liked was Buffy-isms, seeing Oz, Cordy and Anya and the return of Willow's fuzzy pink jumper. As well as it finally being recognised that Giles has some very inappropriate books in the school library!
What I didn't like was that the whole thing felt like it was trying to teach us the dangers of feminism. Women wanting to join the boys basketball team and speaking up about misogyny was likened to racial segregation (in a way that puts feminism as just as bad, which is wild).
They also kept saying female instead of women, which was so odd. And then momen was spelt 'Womyn'.
It felt like the author didn't know the difference between feminism and misandry.
It also somehow felt very TERF-y.
There was also a huge plothole with how the goddesses got to Sunnydale / the mortal realm, too.
I LOVE Buffy, but I hated this.
The writing itself was full of exposition with clunky dialogue, but the plot itself wasn't great.
We start by following Allison who has Greek ancestry and a controlling father who has opened Sunnydale's first Greek restaurant. She calls on a goddess ('any goddess') for help to persuade her dad to let her have a life. From here, we follow Buffy and the gang try to fight the goddesses that were called upon from bringing feminism to Sunnydale.
What I liked was Buffy-isms, seeing Oz, Cordy and Anya and the return of Willow's fuzzy pink jumper. As well as it finally being recognised that Giles has some very inappropriate books in the school library!
What I didn't like was that the whole thing felt like it was trying to teach us the dangers of feminism. Women wanting to join the boys basketball team and speaking up about misogyny was likened to racial segregation (in a way that puts feminism as just as bad, which is wild).
They also kept saying female instead of women, which was so odd. And then momen was spelt 'Womyn'.
It felt like the author didn't know the difference between feminism and misandry.
It also somehow felt very TERF-y.
There was also a huge plothole with how the goddesses got to Sunnydale / the mortal realm, too.
I LOVE Buffy, but I hated this.
February 28, 2022
In many ways I liked this concept, and I didn't have the puzzle figured out five chapters before the characters did, which was a refreshing change, but... casting the feminists as brainwashing/brainwashed bad guys? Really?! Especially for a franchise such as Buffy, this felt like a serious mis-step, and for that reason, two stars.
January 10, 2024
I was over the moon to dive back into the Buffy Universe. This book had many forward thinking topics such as gender equality/feminism, navigating divorced parents, and many internal dialogues that highlight the many complexities of not only being a teenage girl, but also being the Slayer. I really enjoyed how the book weaved Greek mythology throughout the novel. 🔱
•
Overall, it was a very easy read and kept my interest. Here are some of my other thoughts ✨✨✨
•
I liked how the author added the chapters with Joyce and Hank since we don’t see Buffy’s parents interact much in the television show. It made me happy when Buffy’s father tried to make plans with Buffy to go camping because in the show he rarely made an effort to spend time with Buffy or was always too busy with work. It created a more complex Buffy when we get to see her struggling to choose to spend the weekend between her mother or father. Not only does Buffy have to devote her life to saving the World as the Slayer, but she still is a teenager who has to navigate life juggling being both the Chosen One and being teenage girl.
•
I liked how the book had a subplot going on with Viva the vampire and her girl gang. It added more layers to the story.
•
It was nice to see Oz have more time in this novel. I really enjoyed Oz and Buffy working together just them two because it’s a duo we don’t get to see quite often in the show.
•
Overall, it was a very easy read and kept my interest. Here are some of my other thoughts ✨✨✨
•
I liked how the author added the chapters with Joyce and Hank since we don’t see Buffy’s parents interact much in the television show. It made me happy when Buffy’s father tried to make plans with Buffy to go camping because in the show he rarely made an effort to spend time with Buffy or was always too busy with work. It created a more complex Buffy when we get to see her struggling to choose to spend the weekend between her mother or father. Not only does Buffy have to devote her life to saving the World as the Slayer, but she still is a teenager who has to navigate life juggling being both the Chosen One and being teenage girl.
•
I liked how the book had a subplot going on with Viva the vampire and her girl gang. It added more layers to the story.
•
It was nice to see Oz have more time in this novel. I really enjoyed Oz and Buffy working together just them two because it’s a duo we don’t get to see quite often in the show.
Read
July 13, 2021quem liga pros exageros? aff queria abraçar a buffy e esmagá-la com todo meu amor kkk amo demais
December 11, 2022
If you're a fan of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer TV series you're definitely going to enjoy reading this non-canon novel.
The author did well in capturing the personalities and voices of their tv counterparts, the language of the show resonated in the novel which was fun.
Buffy and the Scoobies find themselves against the Greek muses - Mama Moon aka Mnemosyne, and her two daughters Calli aka Calliope, and Polly aka "Polyhymnia" (she's got 7 other daughters who aren't as rebellious as these three) who want to dominate the world by mind controlling the men (and sure ok killing some men along the way) in favor of matriarchal hierarchy instead by encouraging mass hysteria within the female population in Sunnydale starting at Sunnydale High.
Angel's outta town. Willow, Giles, and Xander are hoodwinked by the Muses. This left the unexpected trio of Buffy, Cordelia, and Oz to solve the mystery, stop the Muses, and save their friends and everyone else, even on the show it was rare to see this team-up which was great to see unfold, especially since I noticed that Oz who rarely spoke - if EVER - had a lot of dialogue in this novel.
I really liked the reference to previous episodes - What's My Line Part 1 and 2, with Buffy and Oz acknowledging his good computer skills and filling the role typically filled by both Willow and Giles in the research department of Buffy's latest foe.
Would've loved to see some flashbacks depicting the Greek muses' banishment or something like that to have their backgrounds explored abit more but their defeat was well written.
5 outta 5
The author did well in capturing the personalities and voices of their tv counterparts, the language of the show resonated in the novel which was fun.
Buffy and the Scoobies find themselves against the Greek muses - Mama Moon aka Mnemosyne, and her two daughters Calli aka Calliope, and Polly aka "Polyhymnia" (she's got 7 other daughters who aren't as rebellious as these three) who want to dominate the world by mind controlling the men (and sure ok killing some men along the way) in favor of matriarchal hierarchy instead by encouraging mass hysteria within the female population in Sunnydale starting at Sunnydale High.
Angel's outta town. Willow, Giles, and Xander are hoodwinked by the Muses. This left the unexpected trio of Buffy, Cordelia, and Oz to solve the mystery, stop the Muses, and save their friends and everyone else, even on the show it was rare to see this team-up which was great to see unfold, especially since I noticed that Oz who rarely spoke - if EVER - had a lot of dialogue in this novel.
I really liked the reference to previous episodes - What's My Line Part 1 and 2, with Buffy and Oz acknowledging his good computer skills and filling the role typically filled by both Willow and Giles in the research department of Buffy's latest foe.
Would've loved to see some flashbacks depicting the Greek muses' banishment or something like that to have their backgrounds explored abit more but their defeat was well written.
5 outta 5
April 1, 2023
Ooh dear. I had a bad feeling just reading the blurb of this book - a group of girls come in and try to take over the school with feminism. I felt like it would either be really good or really bad..... and unfortunately it is the latter.
The premise of the plot itself might not be too bad (and that's where the 2 stars do come from), if it wasn't framed around all of our characters talking about how unreasonable it was for any form of feminism to exist, because "things were bad in the past, but I don't think it's fair to want any more rights"...........
Combine that with some very clunky dialogue, and it just didn't add up to a good book.
And to add insult to injury, the resolution felt very anticlimactic. Giles is released from the trance in a very convenient way (although it is sort of tied into the plot later), and no spoilers but the end of the villains is literally written as "her arms fell and she died" and then we move on.
There is one slightly touching (but still very, very clunky) scene where Buffy and Oz talk about gender expectations... the resolution of their conversation, where they decide they can be masculine and feminine however they want to be, is nice but unfortunately the road to get their is incredibly awkward and stilted.
The premise of the plot itself might not be too bad (and that's where the 2 stars do come from), if it wasn't framed around all of our characters talking about how unreasonable it was for any form of feminism to exist, because "things were bad in the past, but I don't think it's fair to want any more rights"...........
Combine that with some very clunky dialogue, and it just didn't add up to a good book.
And to add insult to injury, the resolution felt very anticlimactic. Giles is released from the trance in a very convenient way (although it is sort of tied into the plot later), and no spoilers but the end of the villains is literally written as "her arms fell and she died" and then we move on.
There is one slightly touching (but still very, very clunky) scene where Buffy and Oz talk about gender expectations... the resolution of their conversation, where they decide they can be masculine and feminine however they want to be, is nice but unfortunately the road to get their is incredibly awkward and stilted.
May 2, 2024
Gods and goddesses always interest me so I really enjoyed this one. Story flowed well. My only problem is, what happened to Xander at the end? Last we heard he was staying at Oz’s house. He didn’t seem to reappear at the Bronze with everyone else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2024
Not bad!
Characterizations were pretty spot on. Some funny moments!
Gave Oz and Cordy time to shine and put Giles, Willow and Xander in the back burner. Angel conveniently away on mission until the penultimate pages.
Overall a good story that could feasibly be an episode!
Characterizations were pretty spot on. Some funny moments!
Gave Oz and Cordy time to shine and put Giles, Willow and Xander in the back burner. Angel conveniently away on mission until the penultimate pages.
Overall a good story that could feasibly be an episode!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2018
Excellent killing scence
April 23, 2023
A world where women inherits the earth and men are brainless. Since when is that bad???
June 9, 2023
The concept of this book was good but the author really had no knowledge of how the characters spoke / interacted with each other
Read
September 24, 2023Feminism run amok!
October 3, 2023
No. Just no. An insult to Buffy and all that she stands for.
This book will be ceremonially burned at the next Full Moon.
This book will be ceremonially burned at the next Full Moon.
March 20, 2025
Overall a typical "episode of the week" kind of book, but this book was boring. I will say, the author wrote Cordelia perfectly.
January 28, 2016
An original novel inspired by the TV Series.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
May 9, 2011
For some odd reason I just could not get into this story, it bugged me and I took forever to finish reading it.
In this book Buffy is up against something all together different goddesses / muses. They have come from Mt. Olympus to enforce "Womyn" power and to have the men be silent servants. Unfortunately a body is found drowned, and then another and another all with their brains missing. Buffy has to get to the bottom of this case as her friends and watcher are slowly manipulated to join the Womyn movement, and are not acting like themselves anymore. Actually most of the school is up in arms and it has become a battle of the sexes.
An interesting read for any Buffy fan, but by no means the best or action packed story line I'm used too.
In this book Buffy is up against something all together different goddesses / muses. They have come from Mt. Olympus to enforce "Womyn" power and to have the men be silent servants. Unfortunately a body is found drowned, and then another and another all with their brains missing. Buffy has to get to the bottom of this case as her friends and watcher are slowly manipulated to join the Womyn movement, and are not acting like themselves anymore. Actually most of the school is up in arms and it has become a battle of the sexes.
An interesting read for any Buffy fan, but by no means the best or action packed story line I'm used too.
December 5, 2012
This would be considered a filler story in the series. All the females of Sunnydale are acting weird and Buffy is trying to find out why. It's not until the guys start acting weird that she links the sudden change to a new family in town. Buffy is faced with finding out how to stop what is going on while keeping those she cares about safe. An interesting read.
October 5, 2008
found this at the thrift store and HAD to read it. It was a good quick fun read. I am actually going to mail it to a lady in IA I talked to on the phone because her name is Viva and there is a vampire in the book called Viva:)
November 29, 2015
I thought Massie did a fairly decent job, despite a tendency to overstate plot developments in a way that makes them seem clunky instead of clever. It was a fun read, she wrote Cordelia and Anya really well and the MotW was cool enough to keep me interested.
October 23, 2012
Better than I remembered, though the translucent heads was even sillier the second time round. Decently escapist. As I mentioned in a review of another Buffy book, it's amazing how quickly 90s lingo dates.
December 9, 2011
Great fun for any Buffy fan! Read just like an episode of the show :D
June 30, 2012
Bad, just bad. Stay away!
Read
July 10, 2012Watchable late night tv fluff, based book. Doesn't come across with the
"drama" of the tv show but was true to the characters.
"drama" of the tv show but was true to the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews